self-serving
Definition
Adjective: 1. Acting primarily for one's own benefit or advantage: Characterized by actions or motives that are intended to serve oneself, often with disregard for others. 2. Promoting one's own interests: Designed to further one's personal agenda, status, or welfare.
Usage
The adjective "self-serving" is used to describe a person, their behavior, motives, or statements. It carries a negative connotation, implying selfishness and a lack of consideration for others. - It typically modifies nouns like behavior, motives, agenda, interests, excuse, justification, argument, or person. - It is often used in critical or analytical contexts to question someone's true intentions.
Examples
- His apology seemed self-serving and insincere, aimed only at repairing his public image.
- The politician's self-serving policies benefited his wealthy donors rather than the general public.
- She was accused of having a self-serving attitude, always putting her career before her team.
- The manager's decision was transparently self-serving, designed to secure a promotion for himself.
Advanced Usage
- "self-serving bias": A common cognitive bias in psychology where individuals attribute their successes to internal factors (like skill) and their failures to external factors (like bad luck).
- His explanation for the project's failure was a classic example of a self-serving bias.
Variants and Related Words
- Self-interest (noun): One's personal interest or advantage.
- He acted out of self-interest, not altruism.
- Self-interested (adjective): Having or motivated by self-interest.
- The self-interested lobbyist influenced the legislation.
Synonyms
- Selfish: Concerned chiefly with one's own personal profit or pleasure.
- Egocentric: Viewing everything in relation to oneself; self-centered.
- Self-seeking: Seeking one's own interest or happiness, especially to the exclusion of others.
- Opportunistic: Exploiting immediate opportunities, especially in a selfish way.
Antonyms
- Altruistic: Showing a selfless concern for the well-being of others.
- Selfless: Concerned more with the needs and wishes of others than with one's own.
- Unselfish: Willing to put the needs of others before one's own.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- To have an axe to grind: To have a private, often selfish, reason for being involved in something.
- His criticism of the plan isn't objective; he has an axe to grind.
- To look out for number one: To take care of oneself first; to be self-serving.
- In that competitive industry, you have to look out for number one.
Adjective
-
interested only in yourself
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